


Growing Up (Growing Apart)

by Marvelous_renegades



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Childhood Friends, Friendship, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Internalized Homophobia, Thomas gets a crush and everyone freaks out, Thomas' Developement
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:21:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24003496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marvelous_renegades/pseuds/Marvelous_renegades
Summary: They didn't start out exactly the way they are now. It used to be so nice, when Thomas was younger.Or, how did the sides cope with issues they faced as Thomas grew up and how did it shape who they are today.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Other Relationships
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first sanders sides fic. hopefully its good. the sides start out as Curiosity, Intuition, Fear, and Emotion, and they develop from there.

The mindscape used to look very different from the way it does now. Patton was the first side to appear, but he wasn’t morality back then. He was emotion, in its barest of forms, joy, sadness, love. He kept Thomas company though he didn’t even truly have a form. The Next were Logan and Romulus at just about the same time. They were intuition and Curiosity respectively. 

The two quickly became close friends. Together they helped Thomas understand the world around him, to recognize his parents, to make little noises, to roll over and to smile. The pair was on a never ending quest for new experiences to learn from and enjoy. And Patton saw them through it all, with his never ending supply of joy he fueled every mission ever exploration that Intuition and Curiosity went on.

But with every experience they would be a pitfall. And with every tumble or scraped knee or lost toy, Thomas became a little more afraid. Then one night durring a thunderstorm when the only adult in the house was a babysitter Fear appeared. 

Virgil did not take chances. That fact did little to endear him to Logan and Romulus. He was clingy to the familiar, he held Thomas back.   
Then one day when Thomas was two he went to a playground with his brothers. It was summer and the park was full of people. Thomas had not been walking for very long but he scampered up to the play structure with childish alacrity. Logan and Romulus ran to keep up with him, meanwhile Patton and Virgil trailed a bit behind.

“What it he falls?” Vigil asked, scrunching his face up in concern “what if someone pushes his off the stairs or goes down the slide before Thomas is off?”

“Don’ worry” Patton replied, “they’ll be ok”

“I’m jus’ worried Pat.”

“Don’ be”

“I’m always worried” Virgil said quietly, he burried his face into his sweater and hugged his arms around himself. Thomas would get hurt, Virgil knew it, somehow it would happen Curiosity or Inutition would get too confident and Thomas would get hurt. A pair of arms wrapped around him and Virgil tensed up until he heard Patton say,

“You don’ have to worry” and as they hugged Virgil smiled to himself. Then he looked up.

Thomas was heading up to the fireman pole at the top of the play structure. Virgil looked like a deer in the headlights, but that only lasted for a moment. He tore himself from Pattons arms and began to speed across the park towards Thomas. 

“Fear what are you doing?” Patton cried. A moment later virgil was by Thomas’ side.

“Don’ do it!” he shouted, the fireman pole was dangerous. He could fall, or hurt his hands or land badly or slip or be pushed, or, or, or…

Romulus turned around to glare at him, but Thomas backed off and let the person behind him go instead.

“Thomas! why are you following him?” Logan asked.

“Yes you should not be lead by fear.” Romulus exclaimed.

“I don’ know he ju-” Thomas was cut off by Patton shouting from below.

“Kiddos we can talk about it down here.” The sides all glared at each other but Thomas just shrugged and began to decend the stairs. Just as Virgil was about to follow Romulus fixed his with a petulant glare.

“You are a scaredy cat.” he declared before stomping after Logan. They all sat down in the sand box and Virgil started to make a small pile of sand  
“So fear why did you do that?” patton asked.

“Cause Thomas would have gotten hurt.” Virgil muttered.

“The probablility of that is very low.” Logan said

“How do you know.”

“I know lots of things.”

“Not that.”

“Yes I do!” Logan shouted. Then Romulus butted in,

“Besides look at all the people using who are’n hurt.” They all turned towards the play structure just in time to see one kid fall from the very very top of the fireman’s pole.

“I do need to worry!” Virgil said “I ALWAYS need to worry!” Virgil began to cry muttering 

“See….see…..see” as if maybe that would make the others finally listen to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romulus is lost, he doesn't like change. An old friend helps him come to terms with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no Idea if I will have any regular updating schedule but I can try. also my tumblr is Rome-roaming-roman so yeah.

Ever since Thomas has started Pre-K the mindscape has been changing. Romulus didn’t know what to do. Logan, who had been his best friend in the entire world had become Intellectuality and it seemed like he never wanted to go exploring anymore. Whenever he would propose an idea to Logan the intellectual side would brush him off and keep practicing his numbers and letters. Romulus just didn’t understand! Intuition had been his best friend, now he felt like he barely knew the side. 

Then there was Patton who was settling into his new role as Morality was Thomas learned about right and wrong. No longer has he the steadfast side he could always rely on. Patton was still kind and loving but he was also trying to steer Thomas in the right direction. No more sneaking an extra cookie before he finished homework, or hitting his brothers. There were rules in the mindscape now and while Romulus knew it was a good thing a part of him liked the freedom he had enjoyed before. 

Everything was changing and he didn’t like it one bit. It was as if Romulus was losing his two best friends. The only other side that wasn’t changing was Fear, and he never changed, never took chances. Beside Romulus could hardly count him as a friend anyways. The two sides were always at odds, no matter how much Fear claimed he was trying to help Thomas, Curiosity couldn’t believe it, it didn’t make any sense. Fear held Thomas back, and Romulus did not want to be like him.

He was so confused.

Romulus was changing too. He didn’t know how or why but Curiosity just didn’t seem to fit anymore, but he wanted it so desparately to fit. But he didn’t want to be left behind like Fear always was. 

Tears flowed like rivers from Romulus’ eyes and down his cheeks and he wiped them away with the sleeve of his jacket. His quiet sniffles were so contrary to the usual dramatic sobs that usually insued when Thomas was upset. But this was a personal matter, he didn’t particularly want to be dramatic at the moment. He wished so badly that he belonged, but it seemed that Thomas was moving on without him. 

As he cried he tried to brainstorm ideas for what he could become so that Thomas wouldn’t leave him behind. Passion, Confidence, Inspiration… but none of the FIT! It felt like he was being pulled apart from the inside out. Like threads being unraveled as Romulus was being torn at the seams. As if one part of him wanted to break free from Intellectuality and Morality and Fear while the other part wanted to join them and move forward with Thomas.

But the others would never want him if he was broken. And that's what he was. Romulus was broken.

It was a disaster! 

Then he heard a knock on the door. Or perhaps he should say he heard three, short, perfectly spaced, raps on the door. Only one person in the mindscape knocked like that. Back when Logan had still been Intuition he had knocked on Romulus’ door at least once a day so that they could go on adventures together. But recently that sound had become horribly rare. Romulus quickly wiped his eyes and did his best to plaster a smile onto his tear ravaged face so that Logan would not be concerned.

“Come in Logan!” he shouted with an exaggerated cheer in his voice and leapt up as Intellectuality opened the door. As soon as Logan was inside he ran over to Romulus with a smile on his face and started talking a mile a minute, his cheeks were flushed red and his eyes seemed to sparkle with energy.

“Thomas has an assignment and I need you help!” he shouted “We need to find three different leaves and then make a picture with them, can you help?”   
Romulus’ fake smile was immediately replaced by a real one that stretched across his face and his eyes lit up with joy. Logan wanted his help! They were going exploring! He was so happy that he couldn’t bring himself to say anything so he just nodded vigorously and Logan took his hand and pulled him out of his room.

The pair dashed down to the yard where it was practically leaf heaven. Romulus spent the first few minutes stomping on the leaves and thowing them up in the air until Logan poked him in the shoulder

“We need to get to work!” he said, his expression happy but serious. In an instant Romulus’ excitement was subdued but he began the search nonetheless. Even if it wasn’t an adventure Curiosity was still getting to spend time with Intellectuality and that was wonderful. 

After fifteen minutes they had found a maple and birch and were arguing over wether a pine needle counted as a leaf. Logan said yes but Romulus just didn’t think it was majestic enought to count because all the other leaves were so much prettier. 

“But its still a leaf” Logan said petulantly “Technically”

“Not everything has to be technical!” Romulus argued “we can keep searching and find a better leaf for Thomas’ project” eventually Logan conceded with a small glare at Romulus.

He hoped that Logan was not really angry at him, but he really did not like the pine needle and what was the point if it wasn’t perfect. Once they were done they rushed inside to start the project. When they sat down Logan read out the instructions.

“Find three different leaves and use your imagination to make a picture out of them. Then labl-” Romulus cut him off and jumped up onto his chair. That was it! He turned to Logan eyes wide with excitement.

“That’s it!” he exclaimed. “I’m Imagination! Thats me!” it felt perfect. He jumped down and tackled the intellectual side in a giant hug “thank you Logan, you’re amazing.” Logan froze for a moment before hugging Romulus back and saying 

“no you are.” the pair picked themselves up and got back to the project. Roman feeling better than he has in days started working on a cool way to make art with the leaves as Logan figured out the names for each. He could make a heart or a star he thought. Or Maybe a poop shape Remus though, or a trash can. He had so many ideas. Finally he and Logan were getting along and Romulus felt better than he had in a long time despite the pull inside him that even now had not gone away. 

Wait a second…

Roman? what?

Remus? who?

Who were they?


End file.
